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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is
3an umbrella term used to describe progressive lung diseases
4including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory
5non-reversible asthma, and some forms of bronchiectasis; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In people with COPD, the airways and air sacs in
7the lungs lose their elastic qualities and cannot bounce back
8to their original shape; they then become swollen and thicker
9and, in some cases, become partially blocked or obstructed,
10leading to breathing difficulties and, ultimately, the
11inability to breathe; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Smoking is the main risk factor for developing
13COPD; second hand smoke exposure, occupational dust, chemical
14exposure, air pollution, and genetics are also common causes of
15COPD; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Nationally, the COPD Foundation reports that COPD
17is responsible for direct and in-direct health care related
18costs projected at $49.9 billion in 2010; 70% of those costs
19are related to hospitalizations; and
 
20    WHEREAS, It is also estimated by the Agency for Healthcare
21Research and Quality that one out of five individuals over the

 

 

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1age of 40 in the hospital have COPD; and
 
2    WHEREAS, In Illinois, the prevalence of COPD is 6.1% of the
3total population; COPD affects individuals across all age
4groups, but at even higher rates for individuals aged 55-64 at
58.1% and individuals 65 and over at a shocking 13.3%; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The American Association for Respiratory Care
7reports that nationally just over half of all persons with COPD
8report that their condition limits their ability to work and
934% say that COPD keeps them from working; and
 
10    WHEREAS, There is no cure for COPD and its lung damage is
11irreversible; however, treatments can improve a patient's
12quality of life by reducing frequency and severity of
13exacerbations, prevent symptoms from growing worse, and
14improving health status; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Treatments for COPD include the cessation of
16smoking, removing air pollutants from home and work, and
17treating symptoms with medication and pulmonary
18rehabilitation; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
20reports that in 2012 "chronic lower respiratory diseases",
21which are included within the conditions under the umbrella

 

 

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1term of COPD, are the 3rd leading cause of death in the United
2States; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Many individuals who experience shortness of
4breath or other early symptoms of COPD mistake these symptoms
5as being a part of the "normal aging process"; these
6individuals wait to receive treatments until the conditions are
7severe and the lung damage is significantly more difficult to
8treat and manage; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Concerted public outreach efforts such as
10DRIVE4COPD, the nation's largest public awareness and
11screening campaign for COPD, and the National Heart, Lung, and
12Blood Institute's COPD: Learn More Breathe Better Campaign, can
13dramatically improve public awareness of COPD; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16we recognize Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder as a
17chronic health condition in Illinois which contributes to
18increasing health care costs and decreasing productivity of its
19citizens; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of Public
21Health to include COPD as a chronic health condition in its
22efforts to address serious and chronic health conditions in

 

 

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1Illinois by seeking out and applying for funding and grants
2available to provide public awareness or treatment for COPD in
3Illinois; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of Public
5Health to include COPD as a chronic health condition in its
6current efforts to educate the public about the effects of
7smoking or other preventable and treatable chronic health
8conditions; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That we designate the month of November in 2014
10as COPD Awareness Month in the State of Illinois.